


Knowing What Love Is

by BrokePerception



Category: CSI: Miami
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 10:57:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokePerception/pseuds/BrokePerception
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>CSIs in high school again... 100-word bits. DuCaine</p>
            </blockquote>





	Knowing What Love Is

Her long platinum blond hair gently waved on the steady rhythm of the soft Miami breeze. The welcome September wind was the only thing keeping the 17-year-old Calleigh Duquesne from fainting, as she hurriedly continued her way up the old stairs. The young Southern belle would be late for her first English class anyways, but still wanted to decline the damage by being late only by a few minutes, so she could maybe slip inside the classroom unnoticed and find herself an empty place to sit and follow Mrs. Lawless's course, which had already started more than ten minutes ago.

* * *

‘Good start, Duquesne,' the petite blonde briefly thought, before politely knocking on the classroom door. As she cautiously opened the door to her classroom, everyone present immediately looked up to her, including her new English teacher, Mrs. Lawless, who looked at the student standing in the doorway rather sternly through her thin-rimmed black glasses. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled up in a bun, and she was wearing a reddish women's suit.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Calleigh stuttered, shyly, breaking the ongoing silence.

"I would like to believe you have a very good reason for arriving late in my class."

* * *

Calleigh eagerly nodded in reply. "My–" she started. "Are you going to spill even more of my class?" Mrs. Lawless questioned.

"No, I wasn't–" "Then would you be so kind to sit down and try to follow my course, Ms. …" "Duquesne," the teenage Calleigh whispered, apologetically.

As she found a spot in the back of the classroom, next to a Hispanic boy, Mrs. Lawless continued her lecture, "By the way, it would be highly appreciated if you would really take the effort to be on time in the future."

Calleigh heard the Hispanic boy on her left softly chuckling.

* * *

Eric leaned over to the new girl, as their teacher turned around to write on the blackboard.

"No one dares to be late with Mrs. Lawless," he stated.

Next thing, was Mrs. Lawless spinning around on her heels, throwing her piece of chalk into Eric's direction and looking at him with her nostrils dangerously flared. "Delko! That's going to be an hour of detention!"

"Only first time this year," Eric grinned to the boy on his other side, who was grinning as well.

"I think you just broke your own record!" he stated. "Detention on the first day of school!"

* * *

"And you can join him, Speedle!" was the English teacher's reply. Tim stopped grinning almost immediately, getting another chuckle from his pal. Calleigh realized she was incredibly lucky she hadn't ended up having an hour extra. Mrs. Lawless appeared to be quite generous with detention…

"Enough!" she cried out, raising her voice to her students.

Everyone present stopped in his or her tracks. Eric had been so frightened by his teacher's explosion, that he toppled over with chair and all, and ended up banging on the floor. The young Southern belle started to giggle softly.

"Detention, Duquesne!"

"Crap," Calleigh mouthed.

* * *

The welcome school bell appeared to ring just on time. Mrs. Lawless had seemed to have broken her own record as well, having three students with detention on the first day of school. And it was only ten o'clock…

The students hastily gathered their stuff and hurried out, like captured animals that get their one chance to escape from their imprisonment.

"Are you new here in Miami?" Calleigh heard from behind her, as she turned around to look at the owner of the sweet honeyed voice.

An African American girl smiled at her kindly. "I'm Alexx," she said, introducing herself.

* * *

"Eric and Tim end up having at least one hour of detention from Mrs. Lawless every single month. I've been with them in one class for as long as I remember, and they've been like that from day one," Alexx said, as the two girls walked down the busy hallway, navigating between the other students.

Calleigh's school bag seemed to pop out with college courses. As the two of them reached Alexx's locker, the African American girl turned towards her friend and asked, "Do you want to put any books in here?" "That would be nice," Calleigh agreed, nodding relieved.

* * *

The content of her marine blue school bag was gradually starting to get heavy at this point. The young Southern belle slightly chewed on her lower lip as she handed Alexx the book and papers she was holding. "Thank you," she said, readjusting her school bag on her shoulder.

"You're welcome, honey," Alexx replied. "Anything more?"

The young blonde continued nibbling on her lower lip. "What are we having before lunch?" she questioned, internally slightly hoping she could get rid of a few more things. Alexx thought, frowning. "Uhm... Mathematics, and Geography, I guess. I'm not sure, though. Hang on."

* * *

The African American student reached out, dragging her course schedule out of her own bag and giving it a brief glance. "Yeah," she concluded, pushing the schedule back between her notes. "Mathematics and Geography, all right."

She sighed, taking the pile of unnecessary things from Calleigh and throwing it into the locker before smashing it shut. "Come on," she said.

Calleigh, however, accidentally bumped into Eric, as she spun around to get to their next class. "I'm sorry," she stuttered. Tim and Alexx rolled their eyes in unison as she swiftly lowered herself to pick up her notes, blushing slightly.

* * *

During lunch break, Alexx and Calleigh sat down on a bench together. The girls were still talking about their new Math teacher, who actually seemed to have more trouble expressing himself in English than explaining integrals to the students. That, however, didn't change the fact both girls thought that he was rather cute…

Just as the blonde reached out to take her can of cola, a sturdy guy with apparently expensive black leather jacket walked by. Maybe the exaggerated quantity of hair gel into his dark brown hair was the reason for the four other guys following him so closely.

* * *

Everyone seemed to stop in her or his tracks for a brief second as the boys walked by. Neither of them effectively paid any attention on the glances of the other students, though.

"That's Ray with his gang," Alexx whispered, leaning over to explain to Calleigh, who just frowned. "They usually take that empty bench by the willow tree," she continued, pointing at an old knotty tree behind her friend, who turned around on her seat to see the guys flopping down on the empty bench next to it.

"No one ever dares to go and sit there," Alexx continued

* * *

Calleigh slowly turned back towards her friend, as she continued talking. "Not after what Ray did to the new boy, at least. Poor guy didn't know and ended head in the loo. Everyone knew exactly what had happened to him, including the teachers. Now everyone's afraid of him and his gang."

"I'm not," Calleigh stated, indignantly.

Alexx just shook her head to the Southern blonde. "You never know with them."

"That guy with the black leather jacket," Calleigh started, finally turning back to her lunch, "and the greasy hair, that Ray? He appears to be the leader of the gang."

* * *

Alexx nodded carefully, swallowing her last bite of tuna sandwich before replying. "Raymond Caine. His brother's even worse, though... He's a few years older. He was just starting his last year of college when I started my first one. I don't actually remember his name anymore, but I recall him only having the same bad behavior. The two of them don't resemble each other in anything as for their appearance. Ray's older brother is kind of handsome, though."

"How do you know?" Calleigh wondered, frowning, concluding he might have changed a little, or probably a lot, over five years time.

* * *

"He sometimes comes and gets his little brother," Alexx explained. "But he's not the kind of guy for me anyways. Although I do actually like the rough types."

"You do?" Calleigh asked, surprised.

"I'm having my senses on that guy of the other class for the moment," Alexx giggled. "Tiger. He's incredibly cute. I wonder if he's a tiger between the sheets as well, though."

"I'm sorry?" Calleigh let out, coughing as she nearly choked in her sip of cola.

"I wouldn't mind him ending up in my bedroom," Alexx went on. "I would know what to do with him."

* * *

Calleigh looked at her friend directly with her bluish green eyes. "You already had sex?"

Alexx creased her eyebrows in a frown. "You didn't yet? Girl… I'm no virgin anymore for a while now. Not anymore since my first boyfriend, Brian. We were together for nearly two years, but broke up after another fight," Alexx rolled her brown eyes to heaven. "I've had some other guys after him, but the sex wasn't the same. He probably was the best I had."

Calleigh continued to listen to her friend. "I do believe the first time between people creates a special bond."

* * *

"Especially if the first time for both of you," Alexx continued, and right then the loud school bell sounded, indicating the start of the students' afternoon classes, and another hour of Mathematics for the two girls to begin with. Calleigh quickly stewed her last piece of sandwich in her mouth and got up while her new friend followed her example.

Only a few hours later, and the first school day would end by the same sound. Curious how the same sound can be annoying in the morning and so relieving in the evening after your last class of the day.

* * *

Calleigh and Alexx were walking towards the parking lot together, as the African American girl had offered to give the blonde a ride and take her home.

The young Duquesne hadn't gotten all too much time to get her driver's license yet, since she also took karate and piano classes next to school.

And it wouldn't really matter if she had, because her parents only had one car and both of them and she left at different times in the morning, resulting in her mum getting their old Wrangler and her daddy and she and her brothers taking the bus.

* * *

The 17-year-old Calleigh's bluish green eyes fell upon a light Chrysler, and its apparent red haired owner in particular, who was standing right beside his vehicle, leaning against it and holding a smoking joint between his fingers.

"That's Ray's brother," Alexx pointed out for her new friend, nodding towards the cool redhead in his mid twenties. He would have approximately been about twenty-four years old by then.

"I wouldn't even think about it if I were you," Speed’s voice sounded from behind the girls, startling both of them in their tracks as he and Eric popped up out of nowhere.

* * *

"Now that's exactly what I wanted to say," Eric agreed, sighing, then watching the new girl blindly staring at Horatio Caine, who now dropped his joint and stepped on it, extinguishing its lit end.

His piercing blue eyes caught the young blonde's glance for a brief moment, staying on her just a little longer than appropriate, taking in her new and too innocent appearance.

"Come on, H.!" Ray yelled, throwing his backpack in the backseat and jumping in his brother's convertible without bothering to open the car door.

The redhead flirtatiously winked at Calleigh and followed his younger brother's example.

* * *

The cool redhead shifted his key into the ignition before driving off with screeching tires, leaving only deep tire marks in the underground of the high school's parking lot and a thick and nearly solid wall of exhaust fumes behind.

"You can safely forget about that, girl," Alexx announced, but Calleigh didn't really seem to hear it.

The African American girl rolled her dark eyes towards the boys, making them chuckle out loud, before snapping her fingers right in front of Calleigh, waking her up out of her trance. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah…" Calleigh answered, still dreamily following her friend.

* * *

A couple of months had gone by, during which the young, Southern Calleigh caught Horatio picking up his younger brother from school now and again, sharing only as much as a friendly wink, or hesitant smile from her side. She had been able to get over it, though, with the help of her now best friend Alexx, and, oddly enough, Tim, who was used to being called Speed by now, and Eric.

Alexx's old red car came to a halt in Calleigh's parents' driveway. "Hey, did you ask your parents about tomorrow night's party already?" the African American girl asked.

* * *

Shifting in the driver's seat, Alexx faced the young blonde questionably with her dark brown eyes. She already knew her friend's answer, though. "Uhm…" Calleigh started, nibbling her lower lip nervously. "No."

"Calleigh, come on," Alexx sighed, rolling her dark eyes to Heaven. "Do you want us to come and snatch you?" she continued, meaning herself, Speed and Eric. "There's no way you're gonna miss that party, no matter how stubborn you are."

"I'll try and ask them tonight," she said.

"Promise?" Alexx asked her, sounding sternly.

"I promise," Calleigh said, sighing as she got out of her friend's car.

* * *

Saturday night and Calleigh silently pulled up the frame of her heavy bedroom window, listening carefully if someone had heard her before swinging one leg through the opening and sliding down on soft grass. Whose idea had this been again?

She cautiously pulled down the bedroom window for her parents not to hear it and padded over the green carpet to the front of their house, where Eric was waiting. Alexx had parked the car just around the corner as not to wake Calleigh's parents with the sound of the loud engine. "You're looking great," he commented. "Ready?"

"I guess."

* * *

"Come on, Calleigh," Alexx tried, giving the young blonde a good push, moving on the beat of the loud alternative music playing with all she had while her best friend just stood there lightly swaying.

Eric and Speed had gone to get some drinks, leaving both girls on the dance floor. Calleigh longed for them to get back so she could busy herself drinking, which would be a good excuse for her not dancing, and Alexx wouldn't be all focused on her alone. She actually highly doubted her friend would give up on trying to get her to dance, though…

* * *

"Come on, Calleigh," Speed tried as soon as she had emptied her beer. She had been making funny faces drinking it, as it had been her first alcoholic drink and she didn't really like the bitter taste of the golden brown liquid. She hadn't dared to say so, though, not even when Alexx suggested to switch her glass with Alexx's white wine.

"No," the young Southern belle protested as Speed and Eric pulled her along with them, crawling on an empty table with her and starting to dance on the DJ's music with Calleigh almost crushed between their heated bodies…

* * *

Alexx looked on smiling as her best friend gradually started to loosen up on the large table and eventually started to dance for the first time that night. From the corners of her dark brown eyes, she vaguely noticed a familiar redhead staring at her, then walking up to crawl on the table himself, butting Eric away from her and pulling Calleigh close to him, joining her at the hip.

The younger Southern belle looked up at him as his hands rested on her pelvic bone, making her a bit uneasy maybe, as she wasn't used to any of this.

* * *

He had the most amazing of cobalt blue eyes, Calleigh noticed, and for a moment she thought she would drown in them. She hadn't all too much time to do so, though, as he cautiously leaned down, raising her chin to him with a gentle hand movement and kissing her lips. He pulled back as not to overwhelm her and she just stared at him confusedly. Had he, Horatio Caine, the guy she had been in love with since the first day of school, just kissed her, on the lips?

She stood on her toes and kissed him back, hesitantly.

* * *

If she was really dreaming all of this, she could better make the best of it before she woke up again.

Horatio surely felt a little surprised by her returning the kiss, but knew she definitely wasn't as innocent as she maybe might seem. Deep inside, she must be a real party girl too. He felt how hesitant their kiss was, though, but was soon allowed access as she parted her pink lips for him to delve inside.

She had heard about French kisses before, and had thought it was just gross when she saw others doing it, but now…

* * *

Soon, neither of them still cared about the music, nor being in the middle of the dance floor on a stage. And gradually no one did, and averted all their attention to Horatio Caine and the new girl kissing up there. Who was she?

Suddenly, everyone wanted to hear all about her, though no one had ever even taken the effort to look up as she walked by at school.

Horatio would definitely be considered as being the most handsome guy ever attending Parker High, and he could wrap every single girl around his little finger if he wanted to.

* * *

He didn't, though. Underneath his all cool appearance and manners, H. Caine was still a real gentleman. Becoming aware of everyone present looking at them, he gently broke apart from Calleigh to take a deep breath.

"I'm hot," Calleigh announced, stepping a few inches back and waving a flat hand in front of her to get some fresh air.

"You want to go outside?" Horatio asked, and saw the 17-year-old Southern belle look up at him. Calleigh was immediately intrigued by his low, velvet-like rumble as she heard him speak for the first time.

She smiled, and nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

Horatio nodded, getting off their high stage and turning around to help the blond Southern belle, taking her under the armpits and lifting her from it, taking her small hand into his larger one and leading her out.

As the two of them walked out in the cool air, Calleigh wrapped her arms tightly around herself, as it turned out to be much colder than she had initially expected.

Seeing her shiver, and having nothing to take off and share with her, the older redhead crept up closer to her, making her look up and briefly kiss Horatio's rough lips.

* * *

She cautiously leaned flush against him, hinting for him to pull her close and hug her.

Doing just that, she sighed happily into his arms. Her rational mind went in a total different direction, though. Alcohol was richly involved here, and she just couldn't help but wonder whether he would have done the same if he hadn't drunk. Was he… drunk?

She didn't have the finest idea how Horatio reacted if not drunk, so she couldn't really figure if he actually was or wasn't.

She looked up to captivate his deep ocean blue eyes with her own bright green ones.

* * *

She thought about asking him for a brief second, before effectively doing so. "Am I… dreaming?" Calleigh questioned, wanting to hear him say it, not averting her gaze, but looking for an answer within deep ocean blue instead.

"At least I hope I'm not," Horatio replied, looking right back at her with piercing blue eyes. "Because this for sure isn't a nightmare, something I'm more than used to."

"What do you mean by that?" Calleigh wondered, crinkling her brow in a confused frown.

"Oh you already struck me the first time I saw you," Horatio continued, completely ignoring her words.

* * *

Calleigh didn't get all too much of a chance to dwell on it, though, as she closed her bluish green eyes moaning out in the sensation of feeling his lips plant feather light kisses along her jaw line and lips, and his hands gliding under her T-shirt to rest on her silky soft skin, stroking it. His hands felt incredibly warm, which she considered as being rather odd with the evening cold hanging around them.

He made her feel warm inside, too, as if Horatio's warmth radiated through her body.

She couldn't help a soft moan from escaping her lips.

* * *

The young Southern belle felt a little on guard, though, as she had never been touched like that before. And she would have never thought for anyone to do so either. So gentle, so… She couldn't seem to find the right words to describe it.

Feather light were Horatio's movements as their kiss gradually grew a little more intimate and his wet tongue went to investigate hers more thoroughly than before.

And at this moment, feeling him chuckle against her lips at the ever so soft sounds she made, she couldn't help but wonder how it would feel like if…

* * *

"I'm freezing," Calleigh stated, pulling back, not being able to stop shivering. "Oh crap…" she let out next upon noticing the carbon black dial of her watch indicating a quarter to one. Already. "I…" she started. "I'll take you home safe and sound," Horatio suggested, seeing through the young girl's problem at once.

The green eyed Southern belle looked up at him nibbling on her lower lip, hesitating for a moment. "I'm tired," Calleigh told him, not really lying on that, ignoring the kind suggestion. "And I can't risk getting home all too late and getting caught. Dad'll kill me."

* * *

Horatio nodded, "I understand."

"Will I…?" the 17-year-old quietly started, not really finding the strength to continue. She didn't have to, though. Horatio bent down very slowly to give her a bitter sweet kiss.

"Does that answer your question, miss Duquesne?" he asked, smiling lightly.

Calleigh pulled back from him at first, surprised to hear her last name from his mouth, then shook her light blond head in confusion, a frown between her brows, cringing mostly out of place. "No, I…" but more words trailed off as Horatio kissed her mouth closed again. She felt good in the redhead's arms.

* * *

She would have longed to be held by him all night and longer, but Alexx, Eric and Tim were most likely wondering where their friend had gone. And if she wanted to be home before her parents went to bed themselves, which usually came down to somewhere between one and half past one, she really had to leave rather sooner than later.

A light chill ran down the young blonde's spine by the mere thought of her daddy's reaction if he found her bed empty and un-slept. She needed to find her friends, and get home before it came true.

* * *

Quite luckily for young Calleigh Duquesne, she had almost literally ran into her friends. A loud clock chimed once, making the 17-year-old realize more than before, she had to be fast. She kicked off her dark brown kitten heels and gathered them before running up the lawn to her bedroom window. As she gave it a good push, she already noticed the light in the hallway. Uh oh…

She awkwardly tumbled into the bedroom, threw her leather pumps successfully under the bed and stood there for a short moment, panicking. She barely ended up seizing her bathrobe just in time.

* * *

"Young lady, what are you doing out of bed this late?" her daddy's voice cut through the air, and just by the sound of it, she understood that he must have been drinking again, and she better not argued. "I'm trying to close the window… I'm cold…" she answered, as she pulled it closed and turned around, trying to hold her robe subtly to prevent her father from noticing that she was actually still wearing her red top underneath it, instead of her purplish nightgown, which she noticed was lying in the middle of the bed in front of her…

* * *

"You belong in bed," he snapped, and closed her bedroom door again, hard. Calleigh let out a trembling breath, which she seemed to have been holding since she had snuck out of her parents' house a few hours before. She sank down on the parquet slowly, leaning against the radiator and counting herself lucky that her father hadn't noticed the nightgown still neatly folded on bed.

The teenage blonde smiled, hands going to her tummy. She wondered if this could be the famous butterflies. Sure, she'd met cute guys. However, she hadn't experienced this particular feeling before. It felt… wonderful.

* * *

She kept thinking about her Prince Charming until she eventually thudded asleep onto the parquet. In the middle of the night, she awoke by the coldness creeping through her and noticed her awkward position, sleepily crawling to the edge of her bed and dragging herself into it. She settled easily under the covers, not really caring about the fact she still had her clothes on.

She smiled to herself as sleep once again covered her like a blanket, dreaming about Horatio Caine until eight in the morning, when her nostrils were being filled with her mother's deadly delicious breakfast cooking.

* * *

"What are you being so happy about?" Calleigh's mother wondered smiling as her daughter came nearly dancing off the stairs into the little kitchen to join the rest of the family at the table for breakfast.

"Uhm… nothing," the teenage girl slowly replied, looking nervously at her father, whose eyes seemed to be fixed on her. She briefly looked at herself and realized what she'd forgotten about. She winced internally.

"What the hell do you think you're wearing?" Duke bellowed. "It's the first Saturday of the month, you realize fully well that we're going to your great aunt Maggie today!"

* * *

"I wonder if there's any reason why you’re looking like a whore?"

"Duke!"

"It's true, Abigail!" Calleigh's father continued, now turning to his wife rather than his daughter. "I mean… just look at her! If aunt Maggie should see her like this, she's going to get a stroke!"

Calleigh well used this occasion to grab one of her mother's waffles and disappear back up the stairs to her bedroom to change clothes before her father actually got that stroke. Come on… this wasn't even so revealing… If her father already considered this revealing, then he better not visit any parties…

* * *

The oh so much in love young Calleigh Duquesne made it through the rest of the weekend without any more mentioning of her revealing outfit or too cheerful behavior of Saturday morning. She couldn't say that she really minded.

She stepped smiling into her friend's vehicle that Monday morning. Alexx turned to her immediately and spoke, "Come on, girl… Details!"

Calleigh chuckled and turned to the African American girl as well, as the latter drove up the road. The blonde could have expected this. She had. Thus on their way to school, the friends talked about nothing else but Horatio.

* * *

In the next couple of months, the youngest Duquesne actually found herself going out with her three now best friends almost every Friday behind her parents' back. She always watched out so that she couldn't be caught even once. Mostly, she saw Horatio. The two of them would dance together closely and make out. She would be feeling his warm breath in her neck and not mind. She couldn't really mind.

She could notice Horatio and her relationship having been lifted on a somewhat higher level. She would have seen him as a player in the beginning, but not anymore.

* * *

When the two of them were present at the club, he only danced with his girlfriend. Her. At least she had started to consider herself as that. His girlfriend. Horatio Caine's girlfriend. Horatio Caine's wife. Mrs. Caine. She chuckled, shaking her light blond head out. She was starting to sound like Bridget Jones.

She would like to be Mrs. Caine once upon a time, though, and the mother to his children. Two girls and a little boy. Oh well… The future really would make it out.

She hadn't once before felt like this. And she wanted to treasure this forever.

* * *

Young Calleigh giggled, feeling the redhead's lips on her throat. She could feel him chortle against her pearly skin as well by the reaction his actions elicited. "I think that we have been dancing around one another long enough… I'd like to take you out for real," he whispered into her ear before planting his lips on the sensitive skin right below it. "What do you think?"

The blonde quietly pulled back and simply looked at him, completely gobsmacked. "I like how we're seeing each other this way," she said, rather insecure.

Horatio sighed, wrinkling his eyebrows in a frown.

* * *

"What are you afraid of?" he asked.

Calleigh silently lowered her head, but the red haired male wouldn't let this happen and reached out to lift the girl's chin gently with a forefinger, looking at her worriedly. "Your father? Your parents in general?" he questioned.

"How am I going to explain?" she spoke. "You're a little more than a couple of years older than me."

"Are you afraid of what your parents are going to think about the age difference between us two?"

"Maybe," Calleigh whispered. "Maybe I'm just afraid of telling them that I’ve got a boyfriend at all."

* * *

"I still cannot believe how you’ve gotten my father so far as to let me go out with you," Calleigh spoke, smiling brightly, looking into these sapphire blue eyes she loved so much.

"Do I hear you complain?" Horatio chortled, putting his glass of white wine down on the table top and taking his girl's hand tenderly. Something in his eyes betrayed how much he actually loved her back. Calleigh might be somewhat younger – too young, perhaps – but showed more maturity than any of the other girls he'd dated before, some of them even a few years older than him.

* * *

"I can be very convincing," Horatio explained. "Besides, I think that your mother's opinion has helped as well."

"Perhaps," the young blonde answered, decently taking her napkin to wipe the corners of her mouth as the redhead politely ordered the bill. He'd be paying. Horatio didn't only appear to be handsome and charming but a true gentleman as well.

'Aren't I the luckiest girl in the whole world?' Calleigh thought, feeling the monster-like sized butterflies inside her tummy flying about again at top speed.

"I love you," Horatio spoke, picking up her small hand to plant his lips on it.

* * *

"Horatio?" the young blonde spoke as the two of them walked hands entwined through the streets of Miami, on their way to the dancing the redhead had promised to take his girlfriend to.

"Mmm?" he wondered, looking at her.

"I love you, too," Calleigh whispered, leaning up to nuzzle into his chest as they kept walking. Horatio first wrapped one arm around her waist, then decided to just pick her up. The blonde couldn't stop giggling is Horatio carried her bridal style along the long road, graciously swirling around with her as if in a dance. They were so happy.

* * *

The two of them arrived at the dancing with her still wrapped up into Horatio's arms. Calleigh assumed that he actually knew the guy who served as bouncer, because they briefly shared a smile before Horatio put her down gently and they were allowed inside.

As the two of them came down the stairs to where the real party was going on, Calleigh's eyes were blinded with the flashing light. "Welcome into a real disco, sweetheart," Horatio smiled, gently taking her warm hand and leading her to the dance floor.

Calleigh's protest came almost immediately. "Horatio! I can’t really dance!"

* * *

"Nonsense," Horatio chortled, pulling his girlfriend close and starting to dance to the beat without trouble. Both his hands were on the small of her back, hers around his neck as she suddenly fell into a fit of girly giggles. "What?" Horatio wondered.

"This is so Dirty Dancing music!" she brought out, still giggling.

"Oh, do you want to dance dirty, miss Duquesne?" Horatio replied teasingly, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously, then reaching up with one hand to take hers and sway her around. She immediately obeyed without struggling and closed her eyes, dancing like Baby. Horatio just merely followed her.

* * *

The couple's right hips were glued to each other, her knee between his, and his between hers as they sensually grinded their hips into each other, sliding up and down one another. Calleigh's arms were still loosely draped around Horatio's neck as both his palms slowly slid down to her buttocks and his lips hungrily kissed her collarbone.

Calleigh couldn't stop from moaning out softly into his ear as his one hand slid down further and lifted her leg high, making her back arch.

Without either of them noticing, most of the others present stood watching them at this point.

* * *

Horatio's hand swiftly went back up his girlfriend's body, swirling her around with his hand on her waist so that she suddenly stood with her back against his chest. His hands too slowly crept under her top, setting her pearly white skin on fire by the touch as they continued dancing, still not losing the ability to grind hips into each other.

Calleigh's hands both caught into the redhead's hair, pulling him down into her neck so that he could kiss it.

Eventually, when somewhat more rock music sounded, they left. Besides, Calleigh's father wanted her home before midnight, too.

* * *

"Ouch," Calleigh let out as the young redhead helped her sit down. Although he'd offered several times to carry her, she'd insisted on walking herself – even though her feet were really swollen and hurting.

The young blonde winced kicking off her new flats. Maybe it hadn't been such a very good idea to wear these. She should have listened to her mother's warning. She regretted not having done so now.

Calleigh's thoughts were interrupted by these delicious lips on hers. Quietly, Horatio moved in between her legs and both his hands slid under her top like before, eliciting new moans.

* * *

His warm hands lingered at the waistband of Calleigh's bra. Even though she wanted him to continue, she kept in mind Duke's warning what would happen if they were home late. "H-Horatio…" she let out in between moans, hands pushing gently against his chest.

"Too fast?"

"No," Calleigh replied honestly, sighing. She really wanted this… "Too little time…"

"Right," Horatio answered, noticing the hands of his watch and lifting her up swiftly, laying her over his shoulder before bending down to pick up her shoes. He playfully swatted her ass before starting towards his car again. She couldn't stop giggling.

* * *

"Horatio?"

"Sweetheart?" Horatio replied, briefly turning his head aside to look at his girlfriend before re-directing it towards the road. If you didn't watch out on the streets here in Miami, it could be the last thing you ever did.

"Are we still going to see each other when I'm going to Tulane? I mean, it's in New Orleans… It's not really…"

"Really what?"

"Close by," Calleigh sighed, leaning her light blond head onto her hand.

"I could come and visit you every now and then if I don't have to work," Horatio suggested. "If you want to, of course."

* * *

I wanna know what love is  
I want you to show me  
I wanna feel what love is  
I know you can show me

\- _I Wanna Know What Love Is_ by Foreigner

* * *

"Horatio!" the eighteen-year-old screamed out, dropping all of her papers and flinging herself into his arms. The redhead simply couldn't stop from smiling as he gently lifted her up into the air and kissed her.

"Why did you take so long?" Calleigh questioned, pouting. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you, too, sweetheart," Horatio admitted, quietly closing Calleigh's door behind them before sitting them down onto her bed. They smiled at each other tenderly before leaning in at the same time and sharing their first kiss since weeks.

"I've missed that, too," Calleigh chuckled when the two broke apart for air.

* * *

"Oh, but so did I…" Horatio smiled, lips trailing down into her neck and eliciting his favorite moans. His hands both quietly crept under her loose top and found the unnatural softness of her pearly white skin. He simply loved touching her, even just to feel that softness, which he'd never experienced with another woman before.

Calleigh's eyes were closed in pleasure as her feminine fingers traveled to the buttons of his shirt and unfastened just two before opening her green eyes and looking into his securely. He'd stopped kissing from the moment Calleigh had moved on to undressing him.

* * *

"Calleigh…" he spoke. "I think…"

"I hope you're not gonna start about studying," Calleigh said, lifting both of her eyebrows questioningly, before continuing – since Horatio remained quiet, "Seriously… Who even cares about studying when the most handsome guy of Miami is in her bed?"

She passed on to kissing his lips again, pushing him flat on his back with all of her weight. Horatio pulled away, looking into her eyes once again. "I wasn't really going to say that."

Calleigh sighed, stroking his left cheek before replying. " I think that we’ve waited long enough now. I'm more than ready."

* * *

"Calleigh…" he repeated, somewhat more urgently while his hands quietly grabbed hers. Sure enough, the two had explored each other's bodies before: naughty hands under one another's clothes, but never before had their clothes really been shed or had they touched more intimately.

"Do you remember the first time you took me out for dinner?" the young Southern belle questioned.

"I do," Horatio replied. "You refused to let me carry you, even though you had been wearing new flats and both your feet were swollen and hurting. You actually had painful blisters all over them when you arrived back home."

* * *

"Uh-huh," Calleigh said, briefly looking at her feet, that still wore the purplish scars of too severe blisters. She looked up at her boyfriend again smiling. "I still remember daddy yelling at you for not taking care of me… And then his expression when I admitted that I'd been too damn stubborn to let you carry me…" she giggled. "That's actually not the point, though."

Horatio looked into her eyes questioningly. "Back then, I already knew I wanted it to be you, and soon," she whispered. "We have waited long enough. I want you to show me what love is."

* * *

"I'm sure, Horatio," she whispered, before un-tucking his shirt from his pants and unfastening the remaining buttons from the bottom upwards. She quietly pushed the dark blue and black striped fabric over his shoulders before kissing him.

He could feel the sincerity with which she now pushed herself against him and soon enough, his warm hands caught the fuchsia cotton of her too short top and easily got rid of it. Calleigh's hand's moved on to unfastening his belt buckle and pants while his tried unclasping her bra.

University courses lay forgotten onto the floor, soon joined by their clothes.

* * *

Calleigh's back arched off the sheets as the redhead's lips locked around one of her pink nipples, his one hand holding hers tightly above her head, the other sliding up and down her side. She could easily feel something hard push against her lower abdomen as he'd rolled himself on top.

Her hands had been caught into his red hair until then. Now, one warm hand slipped down, sliding between their heated bodies and over his tainted muscles on its way to Horatio's manhood.

Gently, Calleigh's hand slid into the tight black boxers, coming to meet its goal almost immediately.

* * *

Horatio moaned out into his girlfriend's breast as she came to touch him this intimate. The blonde couldn't help but chuckle almost inaudibly at hearing this and wandered down further, gently cupping his balls.

He easily rolled them so Calleigh came on top again to prevent himself from going over the edge right then and there. Her green eyes caught his insecurely now, afraid that she'd done something wrong. "I'm fine, Calleigh," he reassured, noticing her expression and recognizing it on her. "It's all right,” he added, gently running his warm hands up and down her spine to calm her.

* * *

Calleigh slowly placed her lips over the redhead's enlarged cock. It felt quite huge as it invaded her mouth. She couldn't keep herself from gagging at this new experience and released his hard manhood almost immediately. "You don't have to do this," Horatio whispered, tenderly lifting her head to the same level as his.

A tear quietly ran down the blonde's cheek and was caught by Horatio's thumb, wiping it away lovingly. "I'm sorry," she whispered, hiding into the redhead's upper body whimpering lightly.

"Shh…" Horatio soothed. "It's all right. You don't have to do this, sweetheart."

"I want to…"

* * *

"Right now, I don't want you to worry about that," Horatio whispered, looking into her eyes. "If you really want to, we could try again some other time."

Calleigh nodded quietly and allowed him to push her underneath again. Slowly, his lips planted light kisses upon her skin, creating a slightly wet trail from her throat over her right breast – where Horatio's path had trailed off just a little – and further over her abdomen down to the waistband of her panties.

He briefly teased her with his experienced tongue until Calleigh lowered her hand to take off the panties herself.

* * *

"Is someone getting impatient here?" Horatio chuckled, gently pushing her legs apart to get access to her secret paradise. He slowly placed her legs over his shoulder and bent down to plant his lips along the line of short curly blond hairs.

Calleigh's breath caught momentarily before new moans erupted, feeling his skilled tongue going up and down between her folds. In pleasure, she violently arched her back off the bed again.

Horatio carefully inserted his middle finger into her, dragging it back and forth before adding his forefinger and repeating the movement more slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

* * *

Calleigh's eyes closed in pleasure again when he started stimulating her clitoral hood with his tongue, eagerly lapping at her clit as he continued to go in and out of her with two fingers.

The blonde could feel herself convulse under Horatio's touches and felt herself climb higher to something, and she knew for sure that it must be orgasm. She couldn't stop the loud moans from escaping her lips as she felt herself let go and screamed out loud.

Horatio smiled in satisfaction upon seeing her panting in afterglow, a layer of sweat covering every inch of her skin.

* * *

Calleigh's green eyes opened and she smiled up at the redhead, hands ruffling through his hair before dragging him up to kiss him passionately, then looking at him meaningfully.

"Are you ready?"

"Let's go," Calleigh smiled, even though hiding the nervousness appeared to give some trouble.

Horatio smiled, his tip already pulsating against her sweet wetness. He shifted gently, pushing himself into her for a few inches. Her eyes squeezed shut in discomfort almost immediately, a combined wince and gasp sounding from her lips. When he pushed himself into her further, Calleigh's eyes squeezed tighter momentarily; then she gradually relaxed.

* * *

"Horatio?" Calleigh wondered from her safe spot into the young man's chest. His arms were wrapped closely around her nude frame, protectively. His warm male breath tickled her face.

"Sweetheart?"

"I don't ever want to lose you," she whispered, lifting her messy blond head and smiling before touching lips with Horatio.

"You won't," he promised. "You won't. We already occurred so much resistance, and yet we are still together. I'm sure we could manage just fine with everything else that life has to offer."

"You think?"

"I'm sure." A little smile adorned Calleigh's lips as she fell asleep on him.


End file.
